So much for home, sweet home,
The New York Islanders dropped their eighth straight game and fourth in their new UBS Arena on Friday, 1-0, to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tristan Jarry made 25 saves in the Pens win.
“It was just another game against a different team,” Jarry said. “I think that’s been my mindset this year, is I just want to put my best foot forward and make sure I’m doing my part to try and help the team.
“The guys are doing a great job in front of me, blocking shots, making sure we’re getting pucks deep, and I think that’s been the key over our last five games.”
The offense and defense have disappeared from the Islanders’ game. They have been outscored 32-7 in the eight-game schneid.
Kasperi Kapanen had the game’s only goal, in the middle frame, to help the Pens improved 10-6-4.
“It took a while [to score against Sorokin],” Kapanen said. “All game we put a lot of pucks on him and he was making some great saves. Lucky enough, we got one past him today.”
The Pens have won straight.
The Islanders have six players in COVID-19 protocol including Anders Lee, Kieffer Bellows and Ross Johnston, Adam Pelech, Andy Greene, and Zdeno Chara.
In addition, Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson are outwith lower-body injury.
“This is one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced in 20-something years, and I started with an expansion team (Nashville Predators in 1998-99), and expansion teams are built a lot different than they are now,” Isles head coach Barry Trotz said. “But this is one of the bigger challenges. We’re in a real tough division. Obviously, we want to do well in this rink. Our fans want us [to do well], they’re excited about that, and we get hit with COVID, we get hit with injuries, those type of things. Very untimely, but that’s life.”
Jarry has three shutouts in the streak, and the Pens have outscored the opposition, 16-2, in the streak.
“I think all across the board, everyone’s giving it their all,” the Islanders’ Matt Martin said. “We’re all a little bit snakebitten. … We’ve just got to stick with it. Everybody’s working hard, it’s just sometimes you’ve got to almost will your way to one, and then the bounces start to come your way after that.”
Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves in the Isles loss.
“He kept us in the game,” New York’s Anthony Beauvillier said. “We just couldn’t get a goal for him.”
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